Nigeria election: INEC makes u-turn, declares PDP candidate winner

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has made a u-turn, declaring Jerry Alagboso of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the Orlu/Orsu/Oru East federal constituency election in Imo state.

INEC had earlier declared the election inconclusive, but the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Francis Chukwuemeka Ezeonu on Monday declared Alagboso as winner.

In announcing the result, the Returning Officer, Prof. Innocent Maduforom on Monday at the Imo INEC office, said that Alagboso polled 21273 to defeat the AA candidate, Dr. Ikenna Ihezuo, who polled 2,171 votes and APC’s Edwin Iheanacho, with 20061 votes.

Giving reasons for the reversal, Ezeonu said that the Returning Officer did not apply the electoral guidelines properly in declaring the election inconclusive, Daily Trust reports.
According to him, “The electoral guidelines had stipulated that areas where card readers were not deployed, either as a result of violence or compromise, such areas should have zero returns.
“Some of the areas declared inconclusive actually had results, while others didn’t.
“This necessitated INEC to have a rethink and apply the electoral law, as stipulated.”